Scott Lee Cohen planning run for governor

Scott Lee Cohen, the pawnbroker who flamed out of Illinois politics just days after voters nominated him as the Democratic lieutenant governor candidate, is making plans to run for governor.

Cohen last weekend told House Speaker Michael Madigan, who doubles as state Democratic Party chairman, that he intends to mount an independent run for governor, Madigan's spokesman said. In addition, a Cohen adviser confirmed Friday that Cohen plans to announce his candidacy this week and is trying to find a suitable running mate.

"He came in, in the morning (April 17), and told Madigan he was running for governor as an independent," said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. Madigan replied he would be supporting the Democratic ticket, Brown said.

Cohen would have a steep climb to redefine himself in the eyes of Illinois voters, even by the standards of this state's tainted political culture. During his primary campaign, the 43-year-old political novice ran on notions of integrity and business acumen. But scrutiny of Cohen's background after the election revealed troubling facts and false statements.

The most salacious revelation surrounded his 2005 domestic battery arrest, in which his convicted prostitute girlfriend alleged he put a knife to her throat. The case was dropped when she didn't show up in court, but in explaining his side of the story, Cohen made statements that turned out to be false. He said he had met the woman in a bar, but later acknowledged that he met her when he was a patron at the massage parlor where she was arrested for performing sex acts for money. Cohen also said the woman would vouch for his character, but she issued a statement through a lawyer saying he was not fit to hold office.

Cohen also said he had paid off hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal tax liens, but public records showed he still owed money. During his campaign he downplayed his pawn business, instead calling himself a "green entrepreneur." But the manufacturer of the products he claimed to distribute said the business had no relationship with Cohen.

And while Cohen spent a purported $2 million of his own money to finance his campaign for the oft-ignored and arguably inconsequential lieutenant governor's post, court records showed his ex-wife was suing him for $54,000 in unpaid child support.

The political outcry over Cohen sharing the top of the Democratic ticket with Gov. Pat Quinn finally pressured him to bow out.

Just weeks later, rumors began to circulate that Cohen was conducting polling to determine what voters thought of him. Officials at Grainger Terry, a consulting firm that helped run Cohen's lieutenant governor campaign, confirmed Friday that Cohen paid them $30,000 to do the polling in March.

Cohen would need 25,000 registered voters to sign petitions to get on the ballot, submitted by June 21.

On Saturday, Quinn said he was not concerned Cohen would siphon support from him if he mounted an independent governor bid.

"I think (competition) leads to a better person, both in politics and anything else," Quinn said at an event for military veterans.